This present invention relates generally to a communication system for a mobile platform. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data delivery system for on-board entertainment and office systems of mobile platforms. In general, on-board entertainment and office systems can be utilized to generate video images and audio content for occupants of a mobile platform. The video images and audio content can be related to movies, telephone conversations, and other entertainment-based or business-based material.
Mobile platforms, such as, automobiles, airplanes, trains, and boats have included on-board entertainment systems. These systems generally provide audio-visual content to a display screen. The audio-visual content can be provided from wireless, off-board sources and from on-board sources. On-board sources can include equipment which plays audio discs, audio tapes, video discs and video tapes.
One type of conventional on-board entertainment system is an aircraft passenger entertainment system. The aircraft passenger entertainment system can provide passengers with audio generated from audio tape players, movies derived from video tape players, and interactive services, such as, games, shopping and telecommunications. With the exception of interactive services related to telecommunication services (air-to-ground telephone calls), the aircraft passenger entertainment system generally utilizes strictly on-board sources (tape players, etc.) to provide content. Utilizing strictly on-board sources does not allow “live” programs or time sensitive programs, such as, news, sporting events, and commercial programming to be viewed on the aircraft. Video and audio tapes can take as long as several months to prepare before being available for viewing on the aircraft. Such a delay makes the viewing of sporting events, news programs, commercial television, stock reports, and other time sensitive material undesirable.
Alternatively, on-board entertainment and office-systems for mobile platforms can utilize off-board sources. For example, automobiles can include spread spectrum or ultra high frequency (UHF) or very high frequency (VHF) broadcast antennae for receiving specialized or commercial television signals, respectively. In another example, proposed on-board entertainment systems for aircraft utilize digital broadcast satellite systems to provide live or near live video entertainment (television broadcasts) to passengers aboard an aircraft. However, the use of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems as well as UHF and VHF broadcast systems can be problematic as the mobile platform enters and exits zones where the signals cannot be received. For example, transoceanic flights often enter locations which are out of range of the satellite system. Similarly, platform position, geographic considerations, and other electromagnetic radiation blocking phenomenon can prevent a mobile platform from appropriately receiving data from a wireless source.
In addition, direct broadcast satellite systems and other broadcast systems cannot feature content for particular mobile platforms. The same data is received by all mobile platforms within the range of the source. Occupants of aircraft, trains, and ships having particular destinations may wish to receive content related to the destination. The content may even include commercials or advertisements directed toward features associated with the destination of the mobile platform. For example, it is desirable to show advertisements or previews for casinos, conventions, or other attractions associated with the destination. Thus, conventional off-board sources cannot provide audio and visual content directed to occupants of particular mobile platforms.
Further, conventional off-board sources cannot provide content directed to particular types of mobile platforms, such as the type of aircraft. For example, safety messages must be specialized for particular types of aircraft. The same safety message cannot be sent via off-board sources to every aircraft in the fleet.
It is also desirable to provide Internet access to occupants of the mobile platforms. The Internet has become extremely popular and continues to grow at exponential rates. For example, aircraft passengers could utilize the Internet for both business and entertainment purposes. In addition, the Internet is being sought as a necessity for electronic messaging as well as an alternative to television.
Current stand-alone communications systems utilized by most mobile platforms lack the capacity or bandwidth to support true high-speed multi-user Internet browsing. These systems have been optimized for some data uses but are generally used to support low-bandwidth data and voice communications, typically ranging from 2400 bits per second to 19.2 kilobits per second.
Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) television systems are in wide use for the delivery of television programming directly to terrestrial homes of viewers. DBS systems operate in the Ku-band frequency range of 11.70 to 12.75 GHz. A DBS system typically consists of a DBS ground station for uplinking the programming, a geosynchronous orbiting transponder satellite for receiving the programming from the ground station on one frequency and downlinking the programming on another frequency, and multiple viewers with dish antennas and DBS receivers for receiving the downlinked programming. Digital compression is used to increase the amount of programming available from a satellite. MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 are the standard compression technologies in use by most DBS systems. A program provider or data source collects the programming data and sends it to the DBS ground station for uplinking to the satellite. Programming may be collected from sources by reception from other satellites, fiber optic lines, or the rebroadcast of digital tape. The programming may include data other than television programming such as Internet services. The data is compressed and encrypted before transmission. The viewer receives the downlink signals from the satellite on a parabolic dish antenna.
The dish antennas are small (typically 18-inches to three feet in diameter) which makes the dish antennas attractive for home use. However, even small dish antennas can be undesirable in certain mobile platform applications due to wind resistance and stability considerations.
A down converter is typically located with the dish antenna and down converts the received signal into an L-band intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The L-band IF signal is sent by cable to the DBS receiver in the home. The DBS receiver decodes, decompresses, amplifies and converts the signal into a viewable TV image.
On-board entertainment and office systems, such as, aircraft systems require the efficient delivery of data such as movies, programs, airline schedules, Internet data, e-mail communications and maps to passengers. This data needs to be updated or replaced so that new in-flight entertainment movies, new safety messages, and other information can be presented in flight. Also, mobile platform data, such as aircraft data from a FOQA (Flight Operations Quality Assurance) system generated in flight needs to be removed from the aircraft and transferred to an appropriate recipient of the data. Heretofore, the updated and new data as well as the aircraft data is manually transported between the aircraft and the terminal.
Thus, there is a need for a mobile platform communication system that offers efficient delivery of data between a mobile platform and a docking area. There is another need for a wireless connectivity between an aircraft and an airport terminal; the wireless connectivity should offer much higher bandwidth than existing low-bandwidth communications systems. There is also a need for a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) system for delivering video data for storage on a mobile platform. Further, there is a need for a direct broadcast satellite system that can provide high-speed Internet service to a mobile platform along with DBS television programming simultaneously while using a single small antenna system that can easily be mounted on the mobile platform. Further still, there is a need to utilize excess capacity on a DBS television transponder to provide the modest bandwidth needs for Internet service on mobile platforms. There is also a need for a low-speed, communications channel, such as, an air-to-ground channel, which enables a full interactive Internet capability on a mobile platform.
Even further, there is a need for a communication system that can transfer large amounts of data between a data source and a mobile platform parked in a docking area without hand carrying media containing the data. Further still, there is a need for a communications system that can use existing communications systems, such as, direct broadcast satellites and telephone systems for transfer of data between the data source, the data recipient, and the mobile platform.
Still further, there is a need for a communication system which can provide entertainment directed to passengers of a particular mobile platform while utilizing video signals received from off-board the mobile platform. Even further still, there is a need for a communications system which can adjust to provide a continuous video stream as a mobile platform travels from areas of reception to non-reception. Yet further, there is a need for a communications system which includes receivers which allow video data to be received as the mobile platform travels across the earth.